GOUGE: Bomb's taking this glorious afternoon off to do some product testing, but in the interest of keeping the discussion going, I'll throw a few notes up on the bulletin board to keep the hounds at bay.
First, there's square drivers. While sales have softened, two of the biggest selling drivers continue to be the Callaway FT-i and Nike Sumo2, according to sales reports I've seen. For those keeping track, it's been roughly 100 days since TaylorMade's Mark King suggested square drivers would be done in 90 days. So he was wrong at least on the timeline. We all know Tiger tried one in his Oakmont preparations, and some of us know that more square clubs are on the way, including the Nickent 3DX Square to be unveiled shortly. None of that ensures the survival of the square shape, of course. Increasing moment of inertia as a number is easier with a boxy shape. As a number. The question remains whether increasing moment of inertia as a substantive improvement in performance is necessitated by a boxy shape. Of course the era of substantive improvement based on clubhead technology may be winding down.
Secondly, let's talk about substantive improvement. Lost in the USGA announcement about grooves is a proposal to expand the degrees of freedom in the rules regarding clubhead adjustability. Expect to see very shortly (within a year certainly) a slew of product options that allow a consumer to match heads and shafts together as components and walk right out of the store with a self-built (more or less) driver. Callaway and TaylorMade's clubfitting systems are the foundation, and the rumor that Nike is going that route, as well, means everybody will need to be there soon, if they''re going to compete. One retailer is certain it will dramatically change the landscape of golf shopping. I hope it gets more golfers thinking about their options instead of grabbing a new club off the shelf like it were another can of peas.
Third, Titleist's club design business got a big boost when it lured Dan Stone away from Cleveland Golf. Stone will be the new head of R&D for Titleist clubs, and his sense of inquisitive innovation has been an important element in Cleveland's emergence over the recent past as something a great deal more than a wedge company. Should be fun to see what direction the inventive Stone goes with the traditionally conservative Titleist approach.
Fourth, don't look now but driving distance on tour is down 4.4 yards from where it was this time last year. Statistical quirk? Maybe, but that's not what we'd be saying if it were up 4.4 yards year over year. If maintained, that would be the first drop in driving distance average since 1992 and the largest one-year drop since the tour started doing statistics in 1980. Sure, they could be hitting more 3-woods, I guess. Sure, it's early in the year and the weather hasn't been great. Sure, I think people calling for a rollback should be forced to play in tweed jackets and hobnail shoes. But honestly, why would it go down? Why is the number of 300-yard hitters a third of what it was this time last year? It's perplexing. Maybe the tour is trying to make it look like distance is not a problem anymore by rigging the way they take the statistics. But what can be gained from the tour (which is all about entertainment) by producing evidence that shows your stars aren't hitting it as far? Food for thought. Now go out and join Bomb on the teebox.
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